Author: Chronicle Editor

Prosecutors in Ethiopia have charged a journalist under a newly enacted anti-hate speech and disinformation law over reports about coronavirus. Yayesew Shimeles, who has used his shows on opposition-leaning Tigray TV and social media platforms to criticise Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration, has become the first to be charged under the measures. Human rights groups have said that they could threaten freedom of expression. Yayesew has apologised for an incorrect report about the potential death toll from Covid-19 which landed him in trouble. He was arrested several weeks ago and prosecutors have now charged him under the new law passed…

International Press Centre (IPC) has described as ‘unacceptable’ the arrest of Vanguard correspondent in Ebonyi State, Mr. Peter Okutu, reportedly on the orders of a local government chairman in the state. IPC said this is another unbecoming act of executive lawlessness in the Southeast state. IPC noted that by ordering security operatives to arrest the journalist, the chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Council of the state, Mr. Clement Odah, violated the right of Mr. Okutu to self dignity and violently assaulted press freedom in the process. IPC hereby reiterates that any body or institution that feels aggrieved about a story…

Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has tested negative twice for coronavirus, (COVID-19) on Wednesday. The governor said he has been cleared to come out of self-isolation and resume his full duties as governor. “I am delighted to report today, that after nearly four weeks of observing a strict medical regime, I have now received the all-clear after two consecutive negative test results” -Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” he said after he was released. “I wish to acknowledge our Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, for her reassuring leadership of our team in my absence. COVID-19: El-Rufai not in ICU, says CoS “Our…

Chelsea are close to signing Barcelona and Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 27, who is on loan at Bayern Munich. (Sun) England and Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, 20, who has been linked with Manchester United, was on the verge of a move to Old Trafford from Manchester City back in 2017. (Mirror) RB Leipzig and Germany forward Timo Werner could be preparing for a move to the Premier League by taking English lessons, with Liverpool and Chelsea both interested in the 24-year-old. (Mirror) Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, 28, could opt for a move to Real Madrid after feeling bitter over manager Jurgen Klopp’s decision to publicly back Virgil van Dijk for the Ballon d’Or award. (France Football – in…

If you are a state governor in Nigeria and you are not already working round the clock, night and day, you are playing with fire.  Red-hot, napalm FIRE! Here is your reality.  Bonny Light (Nigeria’s crude oil) is trading at about $11. This is half the cost of producing the barrel. Even at that price, Nigeria is not able to sell her crude oil.  She has tens of millions of barrels of crude oil in scores of vessels cruising the seas, like a gala seller in Lagos traffic, looking for customers. No is calling; no one is buying.  Nigeria is…

A court in Ghana has fined six Nigerians around $2,500 (£2,040) each for attending a birthday party on Saturday in the capital, Accra. Gatherings were banned under a three-week lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus , which has now been partially lifted. The six pleaded guilty. If they cannot pay the fine they will face a prison term of five years. At least 50 people are said to have been at the birthday party in the Accra suburb of Teshie. But the police say they only managed to arrest six people while the rest are still at large. COVID-19:…

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Monday directed investigation to ascertain the cause of the strange incidence that has led to deaths in Kano state. No fewer than 40 corpses were reportedly buried since the declaration of the lockdown at Dandolo cemetery in Dala local government area of the metropolis, against the usual three and at most five corpses daily. At Kofar Mozuga Cemetery also in the metropolis, the number corpses brought for burial on a daily basis hit 10, a development begging for serious concern, Aminu Abubakar told The Nation. Also, at Kara cemetery, near the Abbatoir, Aminu Koki told this…

The Director General of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has announced President Muhammadu Buhari will make some difficult decisions on COVID-19 containment next week. He said: ”President Buharit will on Wednesday have a teleconference with the Governors and there will be some difficult decisions to be made on how to restart the economy, especially on what to start and what not to start.” The NCDC boss spoke while on a courtesy call on Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina in his office at Government House Katsina. He spoke as the Governor demanded establishment of a testing…

The Federal Government has announced the indefinite postponement of this year’s West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) because of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said this at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja on Tuesday. Both examinations were slated for May and June 2020. The minister said that 15 states had already commenced electronic learning for pupils on their local television and radio channels following the stay-at-home orders of the federal and several state governments. Nwajiuba appealed to parents to cooperate…

Social media giant Facebook has launched a $100 million small business grant to help alleviate the strain the coronavirus pandemic has caused businesses globally. According to Facebook, the Small Business Grants programme is designed to provide financial support that can go a long way. “We know that your business may be experiencing disruptions resulting from the global outbreak of COVID-19,” the social media giant said on its business page. “We’ve heard that a little financial support can go a long way, so we are offering USD 100M in cash grants and ad credits to help during this challenging time,” the…